Electric elevator.



W. M. GUMMISKEY.

ELECTRIC ELEVATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 5, 1908.

909,872. Patented Jan. 19; 1909.

50 47 07 48 a 95 14 96 lo /5 "/6 (66 86 58 r- I 68 13 4 2 6, 2} J7 59 /69 3-1 5 ET: 1 28 so INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. GUMMISKEY, OF BONESDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HOWARD F.

a GURNEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 19, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVJ LIAM M. CUM- )1 rsirnr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Honesdale, in the county of lVayne and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric elevators and particularly to a novel connection of the electrical circuits used in the controllers for such apparatus, and its object is to increase the safety and efficiency of installations of this character.

I will describe my invention in the following specification and point out the novel features thereof in claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of certain portions of an elevator apparatus and associated parts together with certain connected electrical circuits which are used in carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a brake mechanism together with some of its associated ,parts illustrating a modification of certain wiring connections, and in Fig. 3 another modification of wiring is illustrated.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings and designate mains from a suitable source of electrical supply which, after passing through a main-line switch 10, run to various parts of the apparatus through circuits which will be pointed out hereinafter.

20 is a starting switch which comprises a plurality of stationary contacts 21, 22, 23, 24,25 and 26 and two movable contact plates 27 and 28. The latter-are mounted upon but insulated from a vertical .niovable rod 29 which is connected with the core 31 of an electromagnet or solenoid 30 by means of a rod 33. 32 designates the winding of this solenoid.

34 is a piston afiixed to the connecting rod 33. is a closed cylinder surrounding this piston and arranged to form an air-eushion or dash-pot for controlling the rapidity of movement of the piston parts in both directions.

40 is a reversing switch which comprises stationary contacts 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48 and movable contact plates 49 and 50 mounted upon but insulated from a vertical and its connected rod 51 which is directly .above the rod 29. A pendant 52 is pivoted to the lower end of the rod 51 and is normally in alinement with the rod 29. It is provided with a sic-t 53 into which a pin 54 rojects. This pin is on a rod 55, one end o l which is attached to the core 56 of a solenoid, the winding of which is designated by the numeral 57. The other end of rod supportsv an insulated contact plate 58 which is pressed against two stationary contacts 60 and 61, by means of a spring 59. \Vhenever solenoid winding 57 is energized the contact plate 58 will be drawn back against stationary contacts (52 and 63 and at the same time the pendant will be drawn back into the position shown in dotted lines and out of the path of movement of the rod 29.

64 designates the armature of an electric motor which, in any of the well-known manners, is arranged to drive a hoisting mechanism and a car. The armature terminals of this motor are connected by conductors 65 and 66 with stationary contacts 42 and 44, respectively. The terminals of the shunt field 67 of this armature are connected by conductors 68 and 69 with sta-. tionary contacts 25 and 24, respectively.

Below the solenoid 30 a brake 70 is shown. This comprises a brake-pulley 71 and a pair of brake-shoes 7 2 mounted upon pivoted levers 73, the upper ends of which are con-- nected together and to a rod 36 by means of a pair of toggle levers 37. The rod 36 aflixed to the solenoid core 31 and the parts are so arranged that when the solenoid 30 is energized and the core 31 raised thereby the pivoted levers 73 will be pushed apart and the brake-shoes released. hen the solenoid is denergized, the weight of its core .7

and its connected parts will force the pivoted levers 73 together and thereby apply the brake-shoes to the pulley 71 which is connected to some movable part of the elevator hoisting mechanism. 74 is a contact plate mounted upon one of the brake-levers -73, and 75 and 76 are stationary contacts with which this contact plate coacts.

80 is an automatic rheostat whichis ar ranged to gradually cut a resistance 81 out 9 of the motor armature circuit. This rheostat comprises a pair of brushes 82 which bear upon and make contact with a metallic strip 83 and a plurality of stationary con tests 84. The resistance 8t is connected to loo each one of the latter so that when the brushes 82 are moved up over the stationary contacts, the resistance is cut out in a plurality of steps. The brushes 82 are mounted upon a vertical rod which depends from the core 86 of a solenoid, the winding of which is designated by 87. A piston 88'is attached to one end of "he rod 85. This piston is within a closed cylinder 89 which may be filled with oil or other fluid, and is arranged to retard the upward movement of stationary contacts 93 and 94. This lever may be moved into eng tgement with either one or the other of thes 3 contacts.

The above descripti n is of the various parts of the apparatus which are connected together by a wiring system made up of a plurality of circuits which will now be traced and the opera tion of my invention described.

The main-line cond ictors and are connected by means of conductors 11 and 12 with stationary contacts 22 and 26. A conductor 13 is run from the main to the pivoted lever 92 of the car-switch. Ifthis carswitc'a lever is moved to the left onto contact 93, a circuit will be closed through the conductor 95, contacts 60 and 61, which are bridged by. plate 58, conductor 97, solenoid winding 87, switch 14 and contact 15, resistance l6 and conductors 17, 39 and 11 to the negative main. The resistance 16 does not allow enough current through the solenoid winding 87 to cause it to raise its core. Consequently, the above operation will not cause the rheostat to be actuated. At the same time, another circuit will be closed at the car-switch through conductor 38, winding 32 of solenoid 30 and conductors 3-9 and 11. Thus solenoid 30 will be energized and will raise its core. This will cause plates 27 and 28-to be moved up against contacts 21, 22 and 25, 26, respectively, to thereby connect the motor shunt field across the line,

and to also close a circuit between the motor.

armature and the mains through the resistance 81. This operation may also actuate the reversing switch 49 to cause the current to pass through the armature in the desired direction. This forms no part of the resent invention, and as it is fully set orth and described in Patent Number 851.983 issued to Howard F. Gurney April 30th,

1907, a specific description of its operation is not deemed necessary. The core 31 will at the same time release the brake 70. The

effect of these operations will be to cause the motor to run slowly in one direction and the car -to be driven thereby.

When the brake-shoes have been moved away from the brake-pulley, the contact plate 74 will be moved back against stationary contacts 75 and 76. This will shortcircuit the resistance 16 so that the current passing from the positive main through solenoid winding '87 will pass directly through contact 15, switch 14, conductor 18,

When the core 86 has been raised far enough to have caused all of the resistance 81 to Debut out of the motor armature circuit, its upper end will have reached such a position that it will cause'the switch 14 to be moved away from contact 15 into some such position as that indicated by dotted lines. This will again insert the resistance 16 in the circuit with the solenoid winding 87 and the amount of current which the resistance 16 allows to pass through the solenoid winding 87 will be enough to cause the latter to maintain its core in its raised position so that the brushes 82 will remain upon the upper contact 84 while the circuits remain in this condition, and the solenoid winding 87 will not become overheated because its current is cut down by the resistance 16.

The motor and car will continue to run in one direction until the circuit through solenoid windings 32 and 67 is broken, either by some of the automatic arrangements usually employed with apparatus of this kind, or by the operator in the car bringing the carswitch back to its central position. This will cause the current to be cut off from the motorand the brake. to be applied. At the same time the brushes 82 will drop and will thereby quickly connect a part of the resistance 81 in series with the motor armature. If the operator throws pivoted lever 92 of the carswitch to the right against contact 94, the operation will be similar to that above described, except that in this case the solenoid winding 57 will be energized and the reversing switch 40 will cause the current to pass through the motor armature in the opposite direction so that the rotation of the motor and the movement of the car will be in the opposite direction to that before mentioned.

I usually emp oy a single circuit closer a'ssoniatedwith the brake for controlling the resistance in. the rheostat solenoid circuit in the manner which I have above described. If, howevergit is desired: to make the action of the-solenoid 87 dependent upon the actuation of both of the brake-levers 93, the parts may be arranged in. some such manner as that illustrated in Fig. 2. In this case another contact plate 77 is connected with the other brake-lever and arranged to coact with two stationary contacts 78 and 79 when the brake is released in the manner above described. The conductor 17, which is connected with one end of resistance 16 as before, is also connected with the stationary contact- 79. The stationary contacts 75 and 78 are connected together and the stationary contact 76 is connected as before by conductor 18 with the switch 14. i

The operation of this modification is obvious, for, when the brake has been actuated, contact plates 74 and 77, abutting against stationary contacts 75, 76 and 78,79, re

spectively, will short-circuit the resistance 16 and allow enough current to pass through solenoid winding 87 to cause the latter to raise its core 86.

The advantages of this invention are obvious. It fully insures the proper rotation of steps in the operation of the controller; it prevents an overload on the motor which might be caused by making the latter work a ainst an applied brake; and it also suppi ies a time element, during which the motor begins its rotation before its series-startingresistance is out out, which time may be augmented by the dash-pot 35. As the resistance 16 is thrown into series with solenoid 87after it has performedits function of cutting out the starting resistanceit will effect the saving of current and prevent overheating of the solenoid winding 87.

The apparatus shown and described has been arbitrarily selected to illustrate this invention. It is no part of the invention, nor is the general wiring system which I have shown, but the invention may be applied as well to other forms of apparatus and in conjunction with other elevator con-' trollers.

Instead of connecting the solenoid winding 87 with the mains through the carswitch, its conductor 97 may be connected with stationary contact 25, and the conductor 17 connected with the stationary contact 21 so that the closing of the starting switch serves tocomplete its circuit through the resistance 16, which is short-circuited by the releasing 'of the brake in the manner previously dacribed. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 3.

What I claim is .1. In an elevator, a motor, a retarding element therefor, electromagnetic means for removing said retarding element, a resistance in circuit with said elcctroi'imgnctic means, and a brake for the motor arranged to cut the resistance out of said circuit.

2. In an elevator, an electric motor, a starting resistance therefor, a solenoid for cutting out the starting resistance, a resistance in circuit with the solenoid, a brake, and means actuated by the brake for cutting the resistance out of the solenoid circuit.

-3. In an elevator, an electric motor, a starting resistance therefor, a solenoid for cutting out the starting resistance, a circuit for the solenoid, a resistance for the solenoid circuit, a brake, and means actuated by the releasing of the brake for short-circuiting 80 the resistance in the solenoid circuit.

4. In an elevator, an electric motor, a starting resistance therefor, a solenoid for cutting out the starting resistance, a circuit for the solenoid, a resistance for the solenoid circuit, a brake, a brake-lever, a circuit-closer connected with the brake-lever and arranged to short-circuit the resistance inthe solenoid circuit when the brake lever has been actuated to release the brake.

5. In an elevator, an electric motor, a starting resistance therefor, a solenoid for cutting out the starting resistance, a circuit for the solenoid, a resistance in the solenoid circuit, a brake, a magnet arranged to actuate the brake, a switch for closing the circuits through said solenoid and brake magnet, and a circuit-closer actuated by the movement of the brake for short-circuiting the resistance in the solenoid circuit.

6. In an elevator, an electric motor, a starting resistance therefor, a solenoid for cutting out the starting resistance, a circuitfor the solenoid, a resistance in the solenoid circuit, a brake, a magnet arranged to actu- 105 ate the brake, a switch for closing the cir-' cuits through said solenoid and brake magnet, means actuated by the releasing movement of the brake for cutting said solenoid resistance out of the solenoid circuit, and 110 automatic means for again inserting said re sistance in the solenoid circuit after said solenoid has been actuated to cut out the starting resistance.

'7. In an electrically controlled elevator, 11 an electric motor having an armature, a starting resistance in circuit with the armature, a solenoid for gradually cutting out the starting resistance, a starting switch, a brake, an electroresponsive device for actuating the 120 starting switch and the brake, a resistance in circuit with said solenoid, a switch for closing said circuits through the solenoid and the electroresponsive device, and means actuated by the releasing movement of the 12 brake for cutting said resistance out of the solenoid circuit.

8. In an electrically controlled elevator, a car, an electric motor having an armature, a starting resistance in circuit with the arma- 1' cure, a solenoid arranged to cut the" starting resistance ont'oi circuit with the motor armav ture step by step, a dash-pot controlling thev action of the solenoid in one direction, a re-' sistance in circuit with said solenoid, a motor and the. brake lever, a manually operated switch in. the car for closing the circuits through said solenoid and electroresponsive.

device, a circuit-closer connected with the brake lever arranged to sh ort-circuit'the resistance in the solenoid circuit-When the" brake lever has been actuated to release the 15 brake, and automatic means for again inserting said resistance in the solenoid circuit after the latter has been actuated to cut out the starting 'resistance.-

In" testimony whereof I havesigned iny- 20 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM MVCUMMI SKEY. Witnesses:

F. VATTIER,

C. R, CALLAWAY. 

